Holidays and a Dose of Faerun
Almost Christmas again. Sheesh. And again, it sort of doesn't feel that way. We did get some snow recently, but it exists primarily in shady patches on the ground right now. Usually it seems like we have a little bit more/fresher snow for Christmas day, but it is what it is. Since the Ireland trip at the end of May is a big thing, we're officially doing a "light" gift-giving this year. I still need to whip up some creme brulee for my overnight visit, though.
Something reminded me about the F2P MMO Neverwinter recently. After watching a little review, I decided to try it a bit. Gameplay-wise, it's not bad, if just different enough in some keys to throw me. It's more actiony, with mouse-driven camera movement and aiming that requires exiting normal play to use the mouse to navigate menus. It's got some 4E feel, though there are more limited slots for abilities and numbers ramp up in on more MMO-standard scale. The world feels somewhat disconnected, as you exit a zone to an overworld map and select another zone to go to rather than running from one to the next. The currencies are so numerous it's confusing (never mind how inflated some prices are) and I have seen ways to turn off most chat channels, but not the Admin channel, which insist on telling me every time someone acquires an Apparatus of Kwalish or some other rare mounty thingy.
Actually, what strikes me most about the game is how much it seems designed as a time sink. Yes, more than usual. In addition to normal play, and daily rewards (that encourage daily play), you also have things like the ability to pray to your character's chosen god. On an hourly cooldown, that grants some little bonus, but it also gives you a piece of currency - one that you can only hold 7 of and they disappear if you don't pray again within (it seems) 30 hours. So whereas missing a daily reward sets you back a day, if you want the stuff purchasable for 7 of these coins (and I'm not sure how good that is at this point), you can't miss a day. Then there's the professions, which run on time as much as in-game resources, with some recipes taking 5-20 minutes and some taking several hours. But hey, you can log in at the web site and check/start crafting projects too! Oh, and there's a little dice-based minigame you can play on the web site also that can get some minor items/resources and experience for your companions! The game seems to be trying very hard to be available to players as a time sink even outside the game. All that's missing are apps (at least, I haven't seen any official ones).
And, I can see the rationale there. The more time a person spends with a game, the more invested they feel, and thus the more they feel it's "worthwhile" to spend a little money here or there. This is just the hardest I've seen an MMO trying at it.
Something reminded me about the F2P MMO Neverwinter recently. After watching a little review, I decided to try it a bit. Gameplay-wise, it's not bad, if just different enough in some keys to throw me. It's more actiony, with mouse-driven camera movement and aiming that requires exiting normal play to use the mouse to navigate menus. It's got some 4E feel, though there are more limited slots for abilities and numbers ramp up in on more MMO-standard scale. The world feels somewhat disconnected, as you exit a zone to an overworld map and select another zone to go to rather than running from one to the next. The currencies are so numerous it's confusing (never mind how inflated some prices are) and I have seen ways to turn off most chat channels, but not the Admin channel, which insist on telling me every time someone acquires an Apparatus of Kwalish or some other rare mounty thingy.
Actually, what strikes me most about the game is how much it seems designed as a time sink. Yes, more than usual. In addition to normal play, and daily rewards (that encourage daily play), you also have things like the ability to pray to your character's chosen god. On an hourly cooldown, that grants some little bonus, but it also gives you a piece of currency - one that you can only hold 7 of and they disappear if you don't pray again within (it seems) 30 hours. So whereas missing a daily reward sets you back a day, if you want the stuff purchasable for 7 of these coins (and I'm not sure how good that is at this point), you can't miss a day. Then there's the professions, which run on time as much as in-game resources, with some recipes taking 5-20 minutes and some taking several hours. But hey, you can log in at the web site and check/start crafting projects too! Oh, and there's a little dice-based minigame you can play on the web site also that can get some minor items/resources and experience for your companions! The game seems to be trying very hard to be available to players as a time sink even outside the game. All that's missing are apps (at least, I haven't seen any official ones).
And, I can see the rationale there. The more time a person spends with a game, the more invested they feel, and thus the more they feel it's "worthwhile" to spend a little money here or there. This is just the hardest I've seen an MMO trying at it.
You will LOVE ME!
ReplyDeleteHeh. It's more subtle/insidious than that.
ReplyDeleteFluttershy? Is that you?
ReplyDelete